Combined trunk and wardrobe



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COMBINED TRUNK AND WARDROBE.

Patented July 25, 1893.

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v Igepfr Jawa alam UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JACOB O. KERN, OF WILKES-BARR, PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBINED TRUNK AND WARDROBE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 502,081, dated July 25, 1893.

Application tiled January 21, 1893. Serial No. 459,185. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB O. KERN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wilkes- Barr, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Combined Trunk and Wardrobe, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its object the provision of a combined trunk and wardrobe, or in:

other words to construct a convenient combination trunk and wardrobe, the same being adapted to serve as an ordinary trunk for traveling purposes and to be opened and extended for the purpose of serving as a convenient receptacle for the clothing in an unpacked condition, and therefore adapted to support them suspended in the manner in which they are suspended in an ordinary wardrobe. Y

With these, and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain features of con-y struction hereinafter specified and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawingsz-Figure 1 is a perspective view of a combined trunk Vand wardrobe constructed in accordance with my invention, the lid of the trunk being thrown back to expose the interior. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section thereof. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the trunk, the same being in position to serve as a wardrobe. Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view thereof. Fig. 6 is a detail in vertical section of the two sliding door-sections.

Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In practicing my invention I employ a rectangular base 1, the four corners of which are provided with right angularlydisposed corner flanges 2, and the opposite ends of which have fastened thereto metal plates 3, which carry and have connected thereto in a loose manner, bails 4. Secured rigidly upon the base 1 and within the edges thereof is the lower stationary trunk-body member 5, the front wall of which is provided with a central vertical groove 6, and the end walls of which near their upper and lower edges are provided with pairs of sockets 7, and between the lower sockets and those vertically above the same, wear-strips 8 are located.

The lower stationary trunk-member 5 is telescopically inclosed by an intermediate trunk-section 9, the same being without bottom or top and provided at its front-wall with a vertical door-openin g 10, extending throughout theheightof the trunk-section. The edges of the opening 10 are rabbeted or grooved to form ways 11. The opposite ends of the section 9, like those of the section 5, are provided with pairs of perforations or sockets 7a and between the same with wear-strips 8. Between the wear-strips and the sockets the said section 9 has secured thereto a pair of spring-strips 12, the lower ends of which are provided with bolts 13 which pass through convenient openings formed in the end walls of the trunk-section 9 near the lower edge thereof, and extending beyond said walls are designed to engage with either the upper or lower pair of sockets 7a in the lower section 5. Beyond the bolts the spring-strips have their ends slightly upturned or otherwise formed so that they may be conveniently engaged by the finger of the operator.

Inclosing the intermediate section 9 is the external trunk-section 14, and the same is provided with a door-opening in its front wall, which extends throughout the depth of said front wall and has its opposite edges provided with rabbets or grooves 16. The trunksection 14 is provided at its edges with the usual binding and trimmings, and upon its upper edge the opening 15 is crossed by a metal connecting-strip 17. The opposite endwalls of the section 14 have secured thereto metal strips 18, and the lower ends of the same are provided with inwardly-disposed bolts 19, which pass through convenient openings formed in the end-walls of the said section and are designed to engage with either the upper or lower pair of sockets or openings 7 in the intermediate trunk-section.

' The end-walls of the trunk-section 14` are further provided near their lower edges with pairs of securing-plates from which extend lugs 21, which, when the three sections are telescoped together are engaged by the locking bails 4 heretofore described, the lower cor-1 ners of the external section 14 then being re ceived by the corner angle-plates of the base 1.

The section 14 has hinged to its rear edge the swinging cover 22, which is provided at IOO its front face with an ordinary hasp and with plates 23 having lugs 2i, which lugs are designed to be engaged by bails 25 loosely hung in plates 2G secured to the front wall and near the upper edge of the external section 14. A sliding door 27 is provided upon its rearside with a T-lug 28 which engages with the groove 6 of the lower stationary section 5, and the said door is provided at its opposite edges with ribs 29 which engage with the rabbets or ways 11 formed at the edges of the opening 10. The door 27 is further provided upon its front face with a pair of T-lugs 30.

31 designates an upper door section, the same being designed to fit within the opening 15 in the external trunk section 14, and is provided at its opposite edges or sides with ribs 32 which engage with the rabbets or grooves in the opening 15. The inner face of the door-section 3l is provided with a pair of T-shaped grooves 33, and these T-shaped grooves engage with the T-headed lugs 30 that are formed on the front face of the door 27. The upper front face of the upper doorsection 31 is provided with a lock 34, which is designed to engage with the hasp 35 before mentioned as being located at the front edge of the cover 22. It will now be seen that by withdrawing the spring-bolts from their enf. gagement the sections composing the trunk may be raised until the said spring-bolts engage with the upper openings in the inner and intermediate sections, whereby thewhole structure will be held distended or opened, and by sliding the door 27 upwardly to cover the opening l0, and the door 31 upwardly to cover the opening 15, the wardrobe thus formed is closed. On the other hand access may readily be had by disconnecting the hasp from the upper door and permitting the said doors to drop, in which case the door 27 slides down in front of the lower section 5, and the door 31 slides down in front of the section 27. To close the wardrobe, or convert the same into a trunk, the spring-bolts are again disengaged and the external and intermediate sections drop down upon the internal or stationary section, after which the bails are swung over upon the lugs, whereby the sections are prevented from becoming ,distended 36 designates a trunk-tray adapted to iit within the lower stationary trunk-section 5 and being of slightly less length than said section. This tray is provided at its ends with slots 37, through which angular plates loosely project, or may be withdrawn therefrom if desired. These plates engage in shallow vertical recesses 38 formed in the inner faces of the end walls of the lower stationary section, or when withdrawn the tray may be lowered to near the bottom of the said lower section and will then rest upon transverse cleats 39 secured to the inner faces of the end walls of the lower trunk-section. The outer orgexternal section has a back-wall provided with a pair of perforations or sockets 40, and through the medium of pins 4l removably passed into the same, a cleat 42, having a series of suspension-hooks 43, may be secured in position, whereby the wardrobe is then complete. When, however, the device is elnployed as an ordinary tru n k, the cleat and the hooks supported thereby may be carried conveniently in a compartment 4i with which the tray is provided.

I do not limit my invention to the exact details of construction herein shown and described, but hold that I may vary the saine to any degree or to any extent within the skill or knowledge of persons conversant with this class of structures.

Having described my invention, what I claim is l. In a combined trunk and wardrobe, the combination with a base, a stationary section mounted thereon, and smaller than thebase, thereby forming a surroundingsuriaceof `the base and an intermediate and external section, and an upper external section telescopically connected and mounted ,on the surrounding section,the upper two sections being provided with aligning door-openings, sliding doors loosely connected together and mounted in said openings, and adapted to fall vertically and rest upon the surrounding space of the base of devices for locking the trunkfsections in a collapsed or distended position, substantially as specified.

2. In a combined trunk and wardrobe, the combination with a rectangular base provided with angle-plates at its corners, and a plurality of telescoping t1unk-sections, the inner one of which is secured to the baseand the outer section of which is adapted to ,be inclosed` by said angle-plates, of acover for the outer section, means for locking the cover, lugs on thelower end of the outer section, and swinging bails secured to the ends of the base and adapted to engage with thelugs, substantially as specified.

3. In a combined trunk and wardrobe, the combination with a base, the stationary section mounted on the base ,and` having its front wall provided with a groove, the intermediate section mounted on the lower `section and having its front wall throughout its length provided with a vertical opening having ways, the externalsection Imounted `on the intermediate sectionandhaving its front wall throughout its depth provided withan opening having ways, a door-section Amounted in the opening of the intermediate trunksection,` headed-studs mounted on the outer face of the doorfsection and ,upon the inner face of said section the whole engaging with grooves in the front wall ot' the lower section, an upper door-section having grooves upon its inner face for receiving the outer headed-studs of the first-mentioned section and mounted for movement i in` the door-opening of the external section, of `means for locking the door-section and trunk sections, substantially as specified.

4. In a combined trunk and wardrobe, the

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combination with a base, a plurality of sections mounted on the base, and holes formed in the lower Wall of the upper section, of a cleat, hooks extending from the cleat, and pins extending inwardly from the cleat and removably engaging the holes, substantially as specified.

5. In a combined trunk and wardrobe, the combination with a plurality of sections telescopically connected the inner section being provided at the upper edge of its end walls with short vertical grooves and below the same near its bottom .with transverse cleats, of a tray of less length and adapted to tit loosely within said inner sections, vthe said tray being provided at its ends with slits, L-shaped plates mounted looselyl in the slits and engaging the shallow recesses in the end walls of the inner trunk-section and adapted to be disengaged therefrom whereby the tray may be lowered upon the cleat, substantially as specified.

6. In a combined trunk and wardrobe, the combination with a series of telescoping sections, means for locking the same in a dis` tended or collapsed position, of a tray of less depth than and adapted to fit Within the inner section, and means for supporting the same at the upper or lower end of said section, substantially as specified.

7. In a combined trunk and wardrobe, the combination with a series of telescopically connected trunk-sections, each section, except the external, having its walls provided with' pairs ot' upper and lower openings, of a series of spring-strips secured to the external walls of the sections, with the exception of the inner one, and terminating at their lower ends in bolts extending through holes in their respective trunk-sections and engaging the holes of the section below, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JACOB C. KERN.

Witnesses:

A. L. LE GRAND, A. C. LANING. 

